Videography with Fujifilm: Ray van Breda
With a passion that started with skate videos, videographer Ray van Breda can be found out in the dust shooting mountain biking, trail running or any other sweat inducing endeavour. In this videography feature we chat to him about the importance of being quick, the convenience of Film Simulations and his love of the X-H2S.
Ray van Breda
How did you get started in videography?
My passion for video started as a kid when I fell in love with skate videos. I would rewatch certain videos hundreds of times. The combination of music, skateboarding and lifestyle was edited into something which was greater than just the sum of its parts. I did film a bit of skating at a young age, but because I was actually good at maths and science, I started out studying engineering.
When I discovered video editing in my first few years out of school, it was the first time in my life that I had an outlet for my creativity. I always assumed that because I was not good at drawing or painting, that I didn’t have any creativity, but editing videos was my method and I’ve been pursuing that method ever since.
View this post on Instagram
What camera do you work with? What do you believe Fujifilm brings to the table for your videography?
I work with the Fujifilm X-H2S. For me this is a workhorse that does everything I need it to do. I shoot most of the content in 4K 50 frames, which works wonderfully on this camera, unless I need slow-mo, in which case I shoot 4K 100 frames.
The autofocus is pretty reliable, the battery life is good, the camera is rugged and has handled some really hectic working conditions with me. I feel confident in the camera, and almost as a bonus, it takes awesome photos as well.
Sometimes I tell the clients who appreciate my work that shooting pretty photos is easy when you have this camera. It also helps that it is relatively small and light for the work I do up in the mountains. I would like to get another one, perhaps an X-S20, which feels like the little brother to the X-H2S.
View this post on Instagram
Do you have an elaborate rig setup or do you prefer to keep it simple?
For my type of work I need the least elaborate camera rig possible. I mostly run and gun with the body and lens only, and even when working off the back of a motorbike on mountain bike trails I hold the camera in one hand. Sometimes I use it on the gimbal (Ronin RS 3) off the back of the bike.
If I am shooting from a chopper or on a bicycle where I am just pedalling myself, then I put the out-the-box neck strap on the camera and let it swing. The neck strap helps to keep shots steady because you push the camera away from yourself and there’s tension. Also, we take the doors off the chopper and you don’t want to worry about dropping things. I don’t use an external screen, I don’t see the point and it gets in the way.
View this post on Instagram
What is the one thing you learnt that greatly improved your videography?
My first job was shooting sporting events like the Absa Cape Epic, Ironman South Africa, triathlons and more. You had to learn to be quick and get the best shot possible the first time round. Here you are not able to control much of the situation – think quickly, pick your spot, decide what shot you are going to go for, and try not to mess it up. The athletes definitely weren’t going to turn around and ride past again.
It forced me to learn to be efficient and now it is a skill. If I can set up the shot and nail it in five minutes, I’m not going to waste the client’s time by taking an hour.
Do you shoot with Film Simulations or are you a believer in F-Log?
I use Film Simulations all the time. There are some projects that I shoot in F-Log, but 90% of the time I use Film Simulations. I find PRO Neg. Std to be a reliable true-to-colour sim that matches well with other cameras when I’m on a job shooting with guys on different brands.
I recently shot a campaign for a big corporate and they wanted an earthy warm African mood. I shot everything in Classic Chrome and the editor thanked me profusely, saying there was almost nothing needed in post.
With photos I shoot RAW, and in Lightroom I can apply any of the in-camera Film Simulations which is so awesome. I can roll through the list after the shoot and see which one looks best.
What editing software do you use and why?
I work on the Adobe Creative suite and I’ve been editing in Premiere for a long time. I was on Final Cut for a while but reverted and I am happy. To be honest, it is nice that the programs I use all work together nicely. I can send images from Lightroom to Photoshop or clips from Premiere to After Effects and then the changes get updated in the original edit.
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
What editing software do you use?
I’m currently switching between Premier Pro for editing and DaVinci Resolve for colour grading.
Can you share a tip for aspiring videographers out there?
It is really important to get the basics right. These days it is easy to get caught up with the trends, and I’ve seen people output videos with only gimbal shots or just too many drone shots. If the basics like clean audio aren’t there, or half the shots are overexposed, it ends up looking amateurish.
View this post on Instagram
Thanks a million Ray, where can people find more of your work?
A lot of the work I do ends up on SuperSport or shows like Toyota Cadence. Our little company, Jumpcut Media, also has an instagram account @jumpcut_media_co and a YouTube channel @ jump cut media co.
